‘“Lindy was very animated. He was the face of the Sabres for the longest time,” Briere said. “All the battles that we went through, it sticks in my mind. It’s something I will remember for a long time. It’s the only coach I had when I played in Buffalo and I really can’t see it any other way.”’

‘The couple were wearing Sabres jerseys when they arrived for the noontime skating session Sunday, and at about 12:30 p.m., the music changed to “You and Me” by the Dave Matthews Band. That was Fleck’s cue.’

‘“He’s still growing as a player,” Rolston said. “He’s still working on his defensive game. You do see a lot of good signs from him in the process. He’s a young player we have to keep working with and there’s a lot of real strong gifts that he brings to the table.”’

‘”We obviously started off on the wrong foot,” said Sabres head coach Ron Rolston. “That’s more my responsibility, I’ve got to do a better job there. We’ve got to be ready to go, we didn’t have enough urgency or desperation off the start.”‘

‘The lead was increased to two thanks to a short handed goal. Max Talbot out home the chance after Steve Ott turned the puck over in the offensive zone. At the time of the goal, shots in the period were 9-0.’

‘”I don’t think we hurt ourselves 5-on-5,” Sabres captain Jason Pominville said. “We gave up a shorthanded goal and we gave up two or three power-play goals. I think our special teams put us in trouble. Our 5-on-5 play obviously wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but it didn’t get us in trouble. It was more our special teams.”‘